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Patch 5.1: No automated PvP queuing for groups greater than 5 people
Blizzard Community Manager Daxxarri has taken to the US forums to announce an important step taken with patch 5.1 to help prevent Battleground pre-made groups. Daxxarri In patch 5.1, we resolved some issues regarding how Addons interact with the Battleground queue system. It is no longer possible to automate queuing for standard or random Battlegrounds in groups larger than 5. We decided to make this change in order to improve the experience for all players who are queueing into random groups normally and expecting to face similarly random groups, only to find themselves crushed by a full team of coordinated opponents. We understand that players want to enjoy coordinated team play, and we invite those players to queue into Rated Battlegrounds or play Wargames to have that experience. Players can continue to use Addons to queue for Rated Battlegrounds as well.. source The issue with groups over 5 people queueing up is just as Daxxarri states, that pre-made groups have such an inescapable advantage over random groups. The enjoyment of the genuinely random group facing the pre-made in a battleground is massively hindered, and Daxxarri is quite right when saying that players who want to play as a pre-made group should move into rated battlegrounds and wargames, or arenas. This is a very welcome change, which will no doubt aid players' enjoyment of random battlegrounds. If Blizzard can beat the bots, which Daxxarri has posted about in the past, random battlegrounds will be a great place to have some PvP-focused fun again, but, of course, that's a far larger task. This is a great first step. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Patch 5.1 PTR: Level 90 Premades now available
Given that character copies onto the PTR seem to be either extremely unreliable or nigh impossible at the moment, with nobody at WoW Insider able to copy their level 90s over, we have some very, very good news. Blizzard Blue Sapperwix has confirmed that level 90 character templates are now available! These templates cover every class and race, allowing you to make your own level 90s, with gear, gold, gems, all manner of frippery. They usually also have professions at a decent level. So get over there and get testing! I know I will. Sapperwix You've been asking for it and I'm pleased to announce that with the latest build of the 5.1.0 PTR: Level 90 Templates Are Now Available. So c'mon down to the PTR and make some 90s and help us test the latest WoW patch. Please be sure to post any bugs you find on the PTR Bug Report Forum: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/2359401/ source Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Rage Against the Zerg: Horde premades sew up Alterac Valley with vicious Rath Strat
I don't run Alterac Valley because the Horde always loses there. Are you a Horde player who craves a win in Alterac Valley? Does the inevitability of the Alliance zerg leave you feeling spent and hopeless, devoid of your former lust for battle? Do you dream of complete Alliance annihilation, caroming atop an endless stream of Honor Kills? What you need, my friend, is an injection of the renowned Rath Strat, the PvP premade team strategy refined by Rathamus of Nathrezim (US) that focuses on battleground domination and savage player-versus-player combat. Rath Strat games are all about rack and roll -- racking up HKs and rolling over the opposition with a prolonged, satisfying crunch. The premades that have sprung up around this strategy thrive on its ability to bring the spirit of PvP back to a battleground that's become a ghost of its former epic glory. Savvy strategy or premade steamroller -- is this even true PvP at all? "Some argue that what we do is not PvP," Rathamus explains about the concept's detractors. "However, when we defend Galv, we are fighting players. When we retake our towers, we are fighting players. When we kick the Alliance out of our Keep, we are fighting players. Taking bunkers? Yup, player combat. Our push that has been coined 'The Death March' phase of the strategy? We are fighting players. The failure to stand and fight as a team nearly always results in a Stormpike Graveyard (or cave) HK farm fest." Is that blood lust we see beneath that hopeful expression? Read on, dear Hordie -- the Rath Strat may be just what General Drek'Thar ordered.
Level 85 premade characters now creatable in beta
If you've tried to create a premade monk (or other level 85 character) on Battle.net over the last few days, you may (like many others) have been frustrated with the request remaining locked in a Pending state. Well, we now have an inkling as to why; in the latest build on the beta realms, a Template Character box has been added to the log-in screen. Clicking Create Character here takes you through the standard character creation process, but your character pops out at level 85 in Pandaria. It appears that the system is designed to allow for multiple templates or levels, but currently Level 85 is the only option. Hopefully, future builds will add differing level options so those wanting to test abilities can do so without needing to take the time to level. It's really quite slick and saves a lot of testing hassle. Kudos to Blizzard for implementing this. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
15 Minutes of Fame: Premade players QueueQ for battlegrounds wins
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. I participated in one of their runs yesterday. It was freakin' amazing. Well run. Their Vent had two full AV premades going, with an additional 60 (players) in the waiting room. In the heyday back during June, they fielded five full AV premades with more on the waiting list. It wasn't uncommon for them to have an 8-hour wait list. -- Matt Low of Raid Rx and self-proclaimed "world's worst PvP priest" on QueueQ Premades The Bloodlust battlegroup appears to be home to more than its fair share of PvP enthusiasts. Arena participation outstrips that of other battlegroups by orders of magnitude, and as for battleground enthusiasts ... Well, BG enthusiasts on the Alliance side have QueueQ Premades. Players who sign up for QueueQ's cross-realms premade battlegrounds service enjoy 85 percent win records on average -- with zero resilience, gear or achievement requirements. The atmosphere is clean and professional: no exploits, no inappropriate chat or Vent chatter. "QueueQ" himself, aka Revash of Kil'Jaeden (US-A), has been running QueueQ Premades for a little over a year now, developing winning strategies designed for fast wins with maximum honor.
Patch 3.3.3 PTR character copies up
Hot on the heels of the Patch 3.3.3 PTR patch notes, Blizzard has activated character copies for this phase of testing. While the realms aren't up quite yet, and neither is the client, you can definitely copy your live characters over to Broxigar (PVE) or Anasterian (PVP) for impending testing. A few things to bear in mind: if you're excited to try out the new Ruby Sanctum raid, that content isn't going to be in this particular patch. There might be indications of it, maybe some quests or data, but no instance itself just yet. But, since there's no raid content, this means you can also copy over premade level 80 characters -- the perfect way to test out all those new PVP changes. Well, what are you waiting for? Go make your evil twin!
Patch 3.1.2 hits the PTR, premades available
We were all taken by surprise this afternoon when we heard the PTR has gone live for Patch 3.1.2, because we had little indication that it was going to have a public testing phase at all. It makes some sense looking at the content of the patch, because it seems they're trying to implement the Equipment Manager again, rather than waiting for the next full blown content patch. This patch also contains the new round of Argent Tournament mounts described a short while ago.When full content patches hit the PTR, the developers generally do not allow premade characters to be created so it doesn't taint the data gathered from dungeon and raid testing. However, this PTR period doesn't have any content like that, so they are allowing premades. If you've been wondering how X or Y class plays at 80, this is a good chance to play around a little bit.
EU premade Beta characters now available
Wryxian announced yesterday that EU players may now begin enjoying premade characters on the beta servers. These premades, unlike their US counterparts, are available to be placed on regular beta servers – not just special premade-only ones.They are still in PvP gear. They have no special PvE gear. However they are still good for doing instances and what not. The only catch is that you'll notice some standard differences in the way the class behaves (mana regen, hit/miss, defense, etc...).EU players can access the premades by going to the site where they originally copied their character over to the beta and select to copy over a "template" character.
Beta patch possible today with changes to XP, Storm Peaks, and premade characters
According to Tigole, Blizzard will "try to patch" the Wrath of the Lich King beta today. Storm Peaks will open back up and should not crash the sever. No word yet if Naxx will be introduced in this patch. The servers should be up between 4:30 p.m. PDT and 6:30 p.m. PDT.The XP required to level will also be reduced by 10% this beta patch. Things should go faster for all you playing around with leveling.Finally, there will be a new beta realm opening up named Murmur. Tigole mentioned that the premade characters should not have been made available on the existing realms. He tells us that "they are being removed." There is no indication as to whether or not current premade characters will be moved to the new realm or just outright deleted.
Forum post of the day: Winning isn't everything
I love most of the battlegrounds. Oddly enough, even as Horde, Alterac Valley is my favorite. Warsong Gulch is the exception. Maybe because of it's small team size, it seems really difficult to get organized and the games drag out. Now I don't necessarily need honor from WSG, but I do need marks for some of my gear. Should I just go in with the intention of getting a single mark, offer no resistance to the opposing team, and collect my singular mark. That's not my style. I'm in it to win it like Yzerman. Aparently not every feels the same as I do. Pigskin of Medivh is unimpressed with mark farming. Even if it's a premade losing team, there are still often folks who get pugged into their groups who can't do much alone when they lack the support of their team. She's hoping for a response from Blizzard.
Forum post of the day: The future is not what it used to be
With the Wrath Beta Opt-in available, we're one step closer to the expansion. We're all anxiously awaiting the time when the expansion is ready. I'm still having fun with the existing World of Warcraft, but I'm a bit antsy. There is a lot of frustration over existing conditions, especially when it comes to PvP. Chloroform of EU-Magtheridon isn't interested in waiting. He listed his grievances in the EU-PVP Forum, "Balance issues, queue times, destroying premades, AFK problems, uneven teams, world pvp screwed by 9000yd aggro range ultra guards." Like many others, Jasse of EU-Bronzebeard blames the arena for the death of PvP.
Yes, Virginia, there will be premade characters, and other PTR Tidbits
In case you were wondering, there will be premade characters for the 2.4.3 PTR before all is said and done, according to Hortus. There's no word for sure on why they're needed, what gear they'll have, or when they'll come along, but they'll be here. You'll need an account that had Burning Crusade activated before these PTRs went live, and when the time comes, you'll be able to sandbox it up with a fresh new premade while you help test the patch. This phase, says Hortus, is also not intended for testing Season 4 gear, since it was already tested on a previous PTR. Besides, with 4 days left until Season 4 goes live, the 2.4.3 patch won't be on live servers until Season 4 is well underway. That said, it looks like most (but not all) of the Season 4 gear is still on the PTR right now, so if you want to go check it out, you can fly up to Area 52 on the PTR and check out Big Zokk Torquewrench's wares. Of course, you can also expect us to give you all the Season 4 news you need in the next few days here at WoW Insider as well, including gear guides. Also, Mages and Warlocks are reporting that their self-buff armor spells are now no longer dispellable on the PTR servers. That's a nice chunk of mana you won't have to waste recasting after a stray Purge in PvP. We'll be watching the PTRs for more undocumented changes, oddities, and happenings, so be sure to keep it here for the rest of the testing cycle for all the news and analysis you'll need when the patch goes live.
Forum post of the Day: The Death of PvP Guilds
Laij of Laughing Skull believes that the new battleground matching system is a blow to PvP guilds. He said, "The new patch and matchmaking system has just nerfed the hell out of any pvp guild. Why run BG premades anymore? All you do is get matched up with other premades that are going to drag games out extremely long." Unsurprisingly, this was not particularly well received. What is notable is that the thread has elicited a response from Drysc who said "Fair and challenging gameplay? The horror..." This comment opened Drysc (as a Blizzard representative) up to both criticism and support from readers. Some cheered him on for calling out the whining of the original poster, others said that class imbalance makes battlegrounds imbalanced.
Prettiest in public
My favorite part of the Public Test Realm is pre-made characters and gear vendors. Not because it's "free epics" or anything like that, not because it's particularly anything out of my reach, but because I get a fun little preview of what my characters may look like down the road.I'm very picky when it comes to style. I adore the style of Warcraft, but other games(and even some cartoons and movies) have turned me off from them by not having an art style that grabs my attention right away. So that being said, I'll admit that even in the highest points of the Black Temple, my upgrade choices are sometimes dictated by what looks the coolest. If the ugly items are a massive upgrade for me, I'll just put them at the end of my list and hold off from looking like a freak as long as possible.Being able to toss on full Tier 6 the last time they did pre-mades on the Public Test Realm wasn't about being super powered for a week or two for me. It was a glimpse into the future. How cool will I look a few months down the road? What if I'm going to be wearing a clown suit!? That'd be horrible! Let's log onto the PTR and find out!Sure sure, you can always use the dressing room feature on the live servers, but nothing is quite the same as actually putting it on and running around in it. I spent a little time on the Arena Tournament PTR doing this with clones of my lower level alts, but I was disappointed to heart all of the PvE content, including mobs out in the world, have been deactivated. How am I supposed to look awesome without level 1 boars to slaughter?
Forum Post of the Day: PUG Player Archetypes
Once Patch 2.4 goes live, we will most likely be able to queue up for all of the major battlegrounds as premades. There will always be PUGs, since even the three battlegrounds that allow premade groups to play have them. Sideways of Korgath posted a thread on the official forums on the most annoying PUG player archetypes. The original list included: The Aloof - This guy appears to be guarding a flag or, but the chickens at the farm in AB are actually doing a better job. It's hard to say whether he's AFK, chatting in vent, or just didn't get enough sleep last night, but a guy caps the flag behind him and he doesn't even notice. If he's in gulch and the enemy flag carrier runs by, he just keeps on doing whatever it is he's doing as if nothing happened. The ADD - This type of player just can't live with less than continuous action. The concept of defending a flag is foreign and distasteful to him. Therefore if he is defending something and no enemies show up within 30 seconds, he moves on despite the fact that he is leaving the flag unguarded for a friendly neighborhood rogue to ninja. The Instance Mob - This type of player makes you swear aggro generation applied to players. He simply cannot understand why he hasn't been able to kill anything despite the fact that he put forth his best damage attacks against the protection specced shield wearing warrior that had 2 priests, a paladin, and a druid healing him. Much like I expect Rend Blackhand or Nefarian would, he attributes his ineffectiveness to inferior gear.
Happy carnival playtime: pre-mades on the PTR
Hortus, the PTR community manager, announced a few hours ago that pre-made characters are going to be enabled on the patch 2.3.2 PTRs, starting today. This often-requested but seldom realized capability means anyone who can get on the PTR can get a level 70 character there of any class they want. This time around they'll be geared up in Arena Season 2 and heroic badge reward gear, and will start with extra Badges of Justice to get whatever other gear they might want; "don't even ask" for other gear, warns Hortus and his spinny hat. In a later post, he says that the PTRs will not be up tonight, and are expected to be available "sometime late tomorrow."While the idea behind pre-mades might be testing new content, I have other intentions. I tend to use pre-mades as a way to test specs or classes I haven't gotten a chance to experience at level 70, to see if it's worth respeccing on the live realms or leveling a character up to 70. It's also a fun chance to play with gear you might not have on the live realms without having to work for it. Personally, I plan on making a ret pally, a resto druid, and some sort of shaman, since those are all classes I've never gotten very high with, and I'd like to see what their endgame is like. What sort of fun will you be having on the PTR?
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Test a spec for free or try a new class on the PTR
When the Public Test Realm is up, any player who has had an active account since November 2006 can copy their character over to help test the new update. During the Patch 2.1 Public Test phase, I copied my L64 feral druid over and respecced to Balance. Fortunately, I had a decent set of Balance gear with me and was able to give the spec a good test drive. I enjoyed it enough that I eventually went Balance when I hit L70 on the live servers.With Patch 2.2 currently on the Public Test Realm, Blizzard is allowing players to copy up to 4 premade L70 characters to the Test Realm. This time, I decided to see what it was like to play some other classes I long admired, so I copied a shaman, a priest and a rogue. Each toon starts out with a full set of raid gear and PvP gear for different specs as well as plenty of trinkets, rings, weapons, drink, bandages and gems. They also get epic mounts, both land and air. They have none of their talent points assigned, so you can spec them immediately, but you will have to find a trainer to get the higher levels of any spells/abilities you pick up in your talent tree.Read on for my impressions on each class after the jump.
Premade characters now available on the PTR
Premade level 70 characters with "high level raid dungeon equipment" are now available to be copied to the US Public Test Realms.There are two catches:1) You have to have The Burning Crusade in order to copy and test these characters because they are level 70.2) There seems to be a 3 day wait time.Do you want to play with Patch 2.2 sporting some free epics? Go here and start the copy process. Blizzard asks that you allow the copy process to finish before logging into the Test Realm. There is a Copy Status page where you can check your progress.This is an excellent opportunity to not only play with the new features (and bugs) in 2.2, but also to try out a class/race combo you may be considering rolling -- all tricked out in purples.Have fun! ... in 3 days...
